Capacity for Care (C4C)

Download the C4C Infographic

C4C is an initiative to allow animals in our care to experience the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, allow staff an environment with resources to properly care for animals, and increase the positive outcomes (adoptions, return-to-owner, spay/neuter release, etc).

Developed by shelter medicine experts at UC Davis, C4C allows us to meet the needs of every animal that is brought to our shelters and ensure that we have the resources to care for these animals.

Asilomar Accords and Adoptability Guidelines

The Asilomar Accords (PDF) were established in 2004 in a collaborative effort to establish a uniform method for collecting and reporting shelter data with the goal of saving the lives of all healthy and treatable companion animals entering shelters.

In 2016, the BC SPCA implemented the Asilomar Accords data collection system at all BC SPCA sheltering facilities. This process is part of ongoing efforts to save more companion animals, assure consistent operational practices, use resources to help the greatest possible number of animals, and promote transparency and collaboration.

To learn about the BC SPCA Asilomar Accords and Adoptability Guidelines, please read the Executive Summary first. Additional links to the detailed Policy and Survey Results are below.

View the BC SPCA 2016 Asilomar Annual Report (PDF). Because full implementation of the data collection system was not completed until October 2016, only slightly over half of incoming animals received category assignments. In future years, 100% of animals will receive assignments.

Hide, Perch & Go™ box

Hide, Perch & Go™ box helps cats adapt to both the shelter and new home environment. The box is designed so that the cat’s one familiar item at the shelter – the Hide, Perch & Go™ box – moves with it by converting to a temporary transport carrier.

Transfer protocols

The BC SPCA moves over 4,000 shelter animals per year within B.C. This helps shelters in overpopulated areas make space for more animals and gives animals a better and faster chance to find homes. We are committed to ensuring the health, welfare and safety of animals and staff during the transfer process. Read our BC SPCA internal policy for animal transfers (PDF).

We also accept a limited number of dogs from outside B.C. into our shelters when we have extra capacity. These dogs come from partner rescues and shelters, mostly within Canada, and occasionally from select regions of the U.S.

In order to prioritize support for local dogs and minimize health, welfare and safety risks, we have very strict health and behaviour guidelines for importing dogs from outside B.C.